As North Carolina prepares to face No. 5 Texas A&M in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 2, we thought it might be interesting to look back at UNC’s bowl history and come up with the five most important victories for the Tar Heels.
The criteria are the stages the games were played, the effect of winning, and who the Tar Heels defeated.
UNC is 15-18 in its bowl history. So, here is our list:
UNC 17, Michigan 15, Dec. 28, 1979 (Gator Bowl)
Famous Amos Lawrence ran for 118 yards and Matt Kupec was 18-for-28 passing with 161 yards and a touchdown as Carolina overcame a 9-0 deficit to defeat the Wolverines on ABC in primetime. Lawrence Taylor recorded a key fumble recovery, and the Tar Heels used a 16-play, 97-yard drive to take the lead in the third quarter.
The game was big for several reasons: The perception of ACC football at the time wasn’t very strong, as it was considered a basketball conference. And UNC was still trying to take that next step after a series of bowl defeats in the 1970s, though it did one game earlier in the decade. And, Michigan’s players had disrespected the Tar Heels earlier in the week, making cracks about them being a basketball school, etc.
So, Carolina earning the win over the No. 14 Wolverines was huge and helped play a role in the perception of UNC and the ACC changing.
UNC 16, Texas 7, Dec. 31, 1980 (Bluebonnet  Bowl)
UNC was 13th entering the game while Texas wasn’t in the polls after having a down season. But it was still Texas and Carolina was still trying to establish itself nationally, and a year after beating Michigan, taking care of Texas in Houston was a big deal.
The Tar Heels’ stingy defense held the Longhorns to 260 yards for the night, but was especially stout in the second half, giving up just 36 yards and two total first downs. Amos Lawrence ran for 104 yards in his final game as a Tar Heel, and safety Steve Streater had an interception and fumble recovery for the Heels. Several months later, he was paralyzed in an automobile accident.
Another reason this was such an important win for UNC is it allowed the Tar Heels to finish ranked No. 10 and No. 9 in the two major polls.
UNC 31, Arkansas 27, Dec. 28, 1981 (Gator Bowl)
The 1981 Tar Heels spent most of the season ranked in the top 10, but to finish there, they had to defeat Arkansas in the Gator Bowl, which was no easy task. At the time, the Razorbacks under Lou Holtz had established themselves as a strong program from the now-defunct Southwest Conference, so getting a win over them after beating Michigan and Texas the previous two seasons would have offered another example that UNC football was truly a national program.
Playing in increasing fog in primetime on ABC, the TV cameras eventually only showed the game from field view because it wasn’t visible from the usual camera angles. Sticking to the run, Kelvin Bryant ran for 148 yards and Ethan Horton added 144 for the Tar Heels.
The Heels ran the ball 65 times on the night while throwing just 17 times. With the win, Carolina finished ranked in the top 10 for the second consecutive season for just the second time in school history.
UNC 21, Mississippi State 17, Jan. 2, 1993 (Peach Bowl)
Looking back on the signature moments during Mack Brown’s first stint as UNC’s coach, the Peach Bowl win over Mississippi State capping the 1992 season stands out. It was over an SEC team and UNC displayed the kind of speed in the game that was synonymous with the SEC in earning the victory.
Bracey Walker blocked two consecutive punts in the third quarter, returning one of them for a touchdown, and Cliff Baskerville returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the Tar Heels the thrilling victory. The interception was forced by a hit Walker paid on an MSU receiver.
UNC trailed 14-0 well into the third quarter before the eruption, which saved a stagnant offense that accumulated just 255 total yards. The victory earned UNC the Nos. 19 and 18 spots in the final AP and Coaches’ rankings, the program’s first appearance in the final rankings in 10 years. It also validated the work Brown was doing rebuilding Carolina’s program.
UNC 20, West Virginia 13, Jan. 1, 1997 (Gator Bowl)
In 1996, UNC took a giant step forward as Mack Brown got the program into the top-10 and on the cusp of a major bowl before blowing a game in November at Virginia. But the Heels had another opportunity in the Gator Bowl versus No. 25 West Virginia and they came through.
Oscar Davenport passed for a touchdown and ran for another as Carolina’s stifling defense held the Mountaineers in check when it counted most. Dre’ Bly picked off two passes for the Heels, capping a freshman season that saw him pick off 11 passes in the regular season, 13 overall, though bowl stats didn’t count at the time.
Bly was the fifth freshman to be named unanimous All-America, and his performance in the bowl game and that of UNC’s defense helped set the tone for the next season, when Carolina made a national push. The Heels finished ranked No. 10 in both major polls and started the 1997 campaign at No. 7. They remained in the top 10 all season.
Almost in our top five: UNC 42, Virginia Tech 3, Jan. 1, 1998 (Gator Bowl); UNC 39, Cincinnati 17, Dec. 28, 2013 (Belk Bowl); UNC 55, Temple 13, Dec. 27, 2019 (Military Bowl); UNC 26, Texas 10, Dec. 25, 1982 (Sun Bowl); UNC 35, Air Force 0, Dec. 28, 1963 (Gator Bowl).
